To the Editor:

We want to begin by commending St. Ignace and Brevort for their gracious and kind farewells. We appreciate these communities for their many gifts and all their help as we prepared for our move to Juneau, Alaska. It has been a joy to serve Zion Lutheran Church in St. Ignace and Trinity Lutheran Church in Brevort as pastor for nearly 10 years.

As we leave, I want the entire community to know why we stayed for as long as we did. We loved living in the U.P. and in these difficult financial times, I want to remind you of all you have to offer. Remember these things that make the area such a great place to live:

1. Strong community: The neighbors always kept an eye out for our kids and welcomed them with open arms.

2. Great school: Our kids not only got a solid education at the elementary school, but lots of individual attention and care.

3. Nature: Winters were always great for snowshoeing and skiing, while summers were great for hanging out at the beach and fishing. There was always something to do.

4. The churches: The communities at Zion and Trinity embraced our family, but all of the churches in town are strong and it was a great gift to work together as we did.

Thank you for including and loving us for this past decade. Please look us up if you are ever in Juneau. Pastor Tari Stage-Harvey and family St. Ignace